By Chris Duncan
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville coach Rick Pitino isn't a big believer in the theory that teams learn more from losses than they do from victories. The day before his team's biggest game of the season - a nationally televised showdown with No. 11 Marquette (18-3, 9-1 Conference USA) in Milwaukee - Pitino was still agonizing over Wednesday's 59-58 loss at Saint Louis that snapped his team's 17-game winning streak.

"That loss was terrible for us," Pitino said Friday. "We learned a lot from that game. You'd like to learn it in victory, but we'll hopefully grow from it."

The second-ranked Cardinals (18-2, 8-1 Conference USA) were outscored 9-1 in the final 1:15, self-destructing with turnovers and disorganized defense.

Saint Louis point guard Marque Perry capped the upset with a driving jumper in the lane in the closing seconds. He made a similar shot earlier in the comeback.

"When a guy gets to the arc twice against a good defensive team, you have no leadership on your team," Pitino said. "You're worried about the last mistake you made, instead of winning the game. A team with great leadership says, 'So what? Let's stop them, let's win the game, let's work on those bad things tomorrow.'

"We did not have good leadership in that game."

Pitino isn't worried about his team bouncing back mentally. That still might not be enough to win in the Bradley Center, where the Golden Eagles have won 28 in a row.

"Regardless of whether we won or lost (the Saint Louis game), we need a gigantic effort as well as execution at its best to win the game," Pitino said. "Every guy has got to play his best game of the season to come away with a victory."

Pitino complained that his team rebounded "like a high school team" against the Billikens. That doesn't bode well for Saturday's game - Marquette leads Conference USA in rebound margin (+4.8).

"It's going to be very difficult because they are big and physical," Pitino said. "They have not only a philosophy of rebounding, which is their staple. They also have the size to get it done."

Pitino is also concerned how the Cardinals defend Marquette's array of offensive sets.

"Talent makes offensive sets and they run a lot of offensive sets," he said. "They have probably more than any team in the league. If one doesn't work, they go right to another set. What they have is superb talent."

Pitino said he might play 6-foot-4, 215-pound Greg Tinch to add some toughness to Louisville's lineup. Tinch was a receiver on Louisville's football team last season and provides a physical presence - without much basketball ability.

"He's not a very good basketball player because he's a two-sport guy," Pitino said. "He's such a good competitor and such a hard worker, when we play against the Marquettes, the DePauls and the Cincinnatis, we can't get by with some of our guys. They're just not physical enough. He is."

A subplot of the game is a duel between the league's top two scorers - Marquette's Dwyane Wade (21.5 points per game) and Louisville's Reece Gaines (18.5 ppg).

Pitino said Wade is on the path to becoming an NBA star.

"He's a complete player," Pitino said. "Some people say he doesn't shoot with range. I can name 50 pros who become great shooters in time. What they have to have is the ability to do what Wade's doing now - put the ball on the floor, get fouled. He's got that great pump-fake when he stops. He splits traps well, he rebounds well, he uses his body, he's a terrific athlete, he's very quick with his first step.

"He's going to be a much better player down the road and he's great right now."

Gaines, meanwhile, is coming off the worst performance of his college career, in Pitino's opinion. The 6-6 point guard scored 28 points - a season-high - but Pitino said Gaines didn't pass enough or play good defense against Saint Louis.

"He was still a major factor in the game, so that speaks well to how good he is," Pitino said. "Sometimes he gets too deep. When you get too deep, the window closes on you and the options aren't as great."

As disappointed as he was with the Saint Louis game, Pitino is still amazed by how much his team has overachieved.

"This is much better than I expected, but the growth process is still the same," he said. "We still need time, we still need experience, we still need leadership and only time will give us those things. In the interim, if we can win and go to the NCAA, it's a major bonus for our program. I'm excited about that aspect of it."